The Marvey Chronicles [20/31]
Title: The Marvey Chronicles
Pairing: Harvey Specter/Mike Ross
Other characters: Donna Paulsen, Benjamin, Harold Jakowski, Gregory Boone, Rachel Zane, Louis Litt, Kyle Durant
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 5,020
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters.
Warning: none
When Harvey woke up, the first thing he noticed was that someone was straddling his thighs and rubbing his back with nice, warm hands. The other things that he noticed were how he was in his bed and how early it was; the alarm clock on the nightstand told him that it was 5:37 in the morning.
“Mike?” Harvey cleared his voice and called his boyfriend.
“Good morning, Harvey. Isn’t this a pleasant way to wake up?” Mike leaned down and gave Harvey a kiss on the cheek.
“Yeah, but why do I have to be up in the first place? It’s not even six.” Harvey groaned and closed his eyes again.
“But you’ve slept almost nine hours. Remember how we crawled into bed right after dinner? I think we fell asleep even before nine.” Mike couldn’t really remember. He had been exhausted and had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow.
“Ah, keep doing that.” Harvey ordered as Mike worked on his lower back.
“You know, I’m willing to take a masseur test if you’re so worried about my skills.”
“You want to officially go rub someone else’s body? Not going to happen.”
Mike laughed at Harvey’s silly jealousy. He wanted to tell Harvey that he loved him but it was probably still too early. He had said it a couple of times before Harvey woke up but he wanted to say it while the man was awake.
“What’s wrong?” Harvey felt Mike’s hands slowing down.
“Nothing. I’m just wondering when you’re going to ask me out on a date.” Mike came up with a practical lie.
“Aren’t we on a date whenever you stay here?” Harvey opened his eyes.
“This is just hanging out! I’m talking about an actual date like going out for a movie. It would be nice if we could do something outside this weekend.”
“Well, what do you want to do?” Harvey let out a pleasant moan as Mike rubbed the right spot. Perhaps the kid really knew what he was doing.
“I get to choose?”
“You’re the one who came up with the idea.”
Mike was silent for a few seconds and Harvey thought about going back to sleep.
“It’s winter so we could do something wintery. Do you do any winter sports?”
“I ski and skate.” Harvey said in a sleepy voice.
“That’s great. How good are you?” Mike had learned that when Harvey knew how to do something, he did it annoyingly well.
“I’m not too bad.”
“Modest today, aren’t we?” Mike laughed.
“Nobody likes a show-off.”
“But you’re always a show-off!”
“Mike, it’s too early to have a long conversation. Let me know later what you want to do, okay?”
“But I already know what I want to do. I want to go skating. Skiing would be great too but we’ll have to leave the city.”
“Mm-hmm…” Harvey was falling asleep.
“But I don’t know how to skate. Will you teach me, Harvey?” Mike tickled Harvey’s sides to wake him up. It didn’t seem like Harvey was particularly ticklish but it still did the trick.
“If I promise to teach you, will you let me sleep?”
“Yes, I’ll leave you alone.” Mike kept working on the knotted muscles on the lower back.
“Fine. Then I’ll teach you.”
“Awesome! I can’t wait till Saturday!” Mike got excited and pressed a little hard.
“Oouch!” Harvey’s voice rang through the bedroom and Mike had to kiss it better.
Ever since she had come to work, Donna found herself glancing at Harvey’s office every five minutes. The blinds had been down since half past seven and she had already endured it for forty minutes.
‘This is ridiculous. He’s just working in there. Why do I feel this stupid need to see him?’
She realized that she probably needed therapy for fixating on her boss but she had no intention to spend her money that way. So she knocked on Harvey’s office and walked inside.
“Harvey? Do you know what the dress code is for tomorrow?” She already knew that it was a black tie event but she wanted to see what Harvey was doing.
“It’s a black tie event but I don’t think it concerns you.” Harvey said with a sympathetic look on his face.
“What do you mean it doesn’t concern me?”
“Well, you’re not my associate, are you?”
Donna was puzzled. “We are both insanely attractive so I get your confusion but no, I’m not Mike.”
“Then I’m afraid that you’re not invited.”
Donna thought that she had heard half of the building collapse. “What did you just say?”
“I think we both know what I said.” Harvey tried very hard not to smile victoriously. “The notice says it’s a ‘senior partner-associate, junior partner-secretary bonding function’. Senior partners have associates but junior partners don’t, so they get to bring their secretaries.”
“But I’m Donna.” Donna couldn’t think of a better explanation. She was always invited.
Harvey shrugged innocently. “You’ll have to talk to Jessica if you have a problem with the company function.”
“Harvey Specter, you will not do this to me.” Donna glared. This was apparently another one of Harvey’s revenge plans.
“I’m flattered but I’m just a senior partner. You know I don’t get to make any of these decisions. You’ll have to talk to the managing partner. After all, Jessica’s the ‘Pearson’ of ‘Pearson-Hardman.’”
Donna couldn’t remember the last time that she had been this emotional. She could feel the fire burn inside her, ready to curl into a ball, leave her body, and land in Harvey’s face. But she had to keep her job; she would be too bored with her life if she didn’t have anyone to control. “Listen, Harvey. I get that you feel a little betrayed but…”
“A little?” Harvey looked a little upset. “You were supposed to have my back, Donna.”
“I’ve always had your back, Harvey! I knew that Mike would be a perfect match for you even before you knew! You have your strong points but we both know that emotions aren’t one of them. That’s where I come in! You honestly think that I did it for my own amusement? Do you have any idea how many new wrinkles I got after you pretended that you didn’t enjoy Mike all night after that party? Besides, let’s face it. You don’t do anything you don’t want to do. We didn’t force you to do anything. Even when we trapped you inside the elevator, you used whatever you had in there and turned the tables on us. You got what you wanted! Oh, and I should probably tell you that your little stunt in the elevator got you some new fans.” Donna smirked.
Harvey groaned. “I don’t want any fans.”
“Aww, who do you think you’re lying to? Everybody loves having fans, especially an attorney with such a big ego like yours.”
“Just how big do you think my ego is?”
“Just a little bigger than mine.”
Harvey couldn’t help but laugh at the accurate observation.
“Listen, I know you’re disappointed that you’re not invited tomorrow. But I got you coffee again to cheer you up.” Harvey pointed at the drinks trolley on his right.
Donna spotted three take-out coffee cups and asked, “Which one is mine?”
“One has skim milk, one has regular milk, and one has… well, you don’t want to know what is in it.” Harvey rubbed his arms as if he had goose bumps.
“I’m not falling for this stupid test, Harvey. For all I know, all three of them have questionable things inside.” Donna turned around to walk out the door.
“But you want to know which one is which. Your ego might be slightly smaller than mine but when it comes to curiosity, I think it’s the other way around.” Harvey practically said the last words in a sing-song voice.
“If I want to know, I can simply walk out the building and ask Dustin. I’m sure he remembers which coffees he made.”
“That would be a great plan if I got these from him.”
Donna approached the trolley and turned one of the take-out cups. There wasn’t anything on the white cup; no brand, no alphabet that might help her figure out which cup was which.
“So are you in or out? You’re not going to back off because you’re afraid of drinking regular milk, are you?” Harvey smiled like he did in court.
Donna wanted to ignore Harvey’s words and walk away but she was a little curious. She didn’t think that Harvey had really put anything harmful in the third cup. He was probably bluffing to get to her.
‘I would’ve never agreed to this if I felt well. I need to get my life back.’ She grumbled and gave her boss a small nod.
“Good. You don’t get to look inside or taste it.” Harvey leaned to his right and pulled the trolley closer to him.
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
“You simply watch. I’ll be kind and tell you which one has skim milk in it.”
Donna was about to ask what kind of a weird test this was when Harvey pulled a jacket from the back of his chair and put it over the cups.
“Remember. This one here is the one with skim milk.” He pointed at the cup on his left.
“Wait a minute. Is that Mike’s jacket?”
“Yes. Now focus.”
Before Donna could say anything else, Harvey started to shuffle the cups. Donna followed his hands with her eyes until he stopped.
“Which one?”
“The one in the middle.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Well, I think so.” Donna thought that it had been suspiciously easy. She wasn’t sure whether it was because Harvey sucked at these kinds of tricks or because it was intentional. She was leaning towards the latter.
“I’ll give you another chance. Which one do you want to drink?”
Donna eyed him for a second. The man surely knew how to mess with her. “I’ll still pick the one in the middle.”
“Suit yourself.” That sympathetic look was back on Harvey’s face.
“Have a nice day, Donna.” The senior partner kindly handed her the cup.
Donna took it and glared. “I hope you see scary elves in your dreams, Harvey. And, Benjamin is coming to work in half an hour so I’ll get my intercom privileges back, right?”
“Yes, as soon as I’m done with him.” Harvey was a man of his words.
Donna kept glaring at her boss and Harvey could see that she really didn’t enjoy her situation. He started to feel for her but then he remembered how she had manipulated a very important part of his life. A small part of him thanked her for her efforts but he couldn’t stop thinking that he and Mike should have taken a more natural course. ‘Perhaps that’s why I can’t tell him that I love him.’
“Enjoy your coffee.” Harvey looked down at the papers as Donna felt the urge to give him a finger. But she was a lady and she knew that whenever her puppet was done with the tantrums, her life would become normal again.
After Donna left with her cup of coffee, contemplating if she should risk drinking it or throw it away, Harvey enjoyed a few laughs and called Mike into his office.
“What did you do to her this time?” Mike noticed that Harvey was wearing his ‘Oops, I did it again’ smirk.
“Nothing. I just gave her a cup of coffee.”
“Oh no, don’t tell me that you put in something awful.” Mike sat in front of the desk.
“Why does everyone think that I’d do such a thing?” Harvey pretended to look hurt. “She got the one with skim milk just like she wanted.”
“Then what are those two?” Mike pointed at the two cups left on the trolley.
“These are for us. I played a game with Donna so I don’t know which one is which anymore. You’ll have to taste one. I’d do it myself but you put way too much sugar.”
Mike chuckled and opened the lid of one of the cups that Harvey handed him. “Mmm, this has no sugar at all. Yuk.”
Mike returned the cup and got the other one. “So that’s why Donna looked like she had a bomb in her mouth.”
“Well, it’s what she usually drinks. If she feels like it tastes different, it’s all in her head. And, thanks for the jacket.” Harvey returned the jacket with a kiss.
“Do I want to know what you needed it for? You know what. Don’t tell me. It’s probably better that way.” Mike checked his jacket if it had been harmed in any way. It was a little warm but it seemed all right.
“Whatever you want, Mike.” Harvey smiled and enjoyed his coffee that tasted so much better after a sweet victory.
Benjamin was standing in front of Harvey’s office, looking like he was going to face Death himself. He had already suffered from a panic attack when Donna had informed him that Harvey wanted to see him alone. Most of the club members would have killed to be in a room with Harvey alone but Benjamin couldn’t think of a more ominous word right now.
‘It’s a good thing that I got baptized as a baby. Mom was wise like that.’ He thanked his mom and crossed himself before taking a deep breath.
“You know he’s not going to hurt you. He probably wants something from you so you’re no good to him if you’re dead.” Donna wanted to push him inside so she could go back to her stalking days as soon as possible.
“I know…” Benjamin was sure that Donna was trying to be helpful but it only made him feel worse. He could suddenly think of many ways for a person to be not dead and still have a nightmare of a life.
“He doesn’t like to wait so get in there already.”
Donna’s disapproving stare did the trick and Benjamin knocked on Harvey’s office, feeling like he was moving from one hell to another.
“Come in, Ben. Take a seat on the couch.” Harvey finished writing something down and looked up.
“Uh, if you don’t mind, I’d prefer to stand, Mr. Specter. You have a very soft carpet.” Benjamin forced himself to smile. He didn’t want to sit on the couch which might have thorns underneath.
“Nothing’s going to come out of the couch, Ben. Go take a seat.”
Harvey stood up and looked even more intimidating than when he was sitting, so Benjamin hurried to the couch with shaking legs.
“Wow, your couch is very soft too, Mr. Specter. You obviously have impeccable taste.” He said with shivering lips and that was when he noticed that the office was warm. He looked up and saw the heater on the ceiling.
‘Oh no, maybe some untraceable toxic gas is coming out of there. Maybe Harvey already took an antidote and that’s why he wanted to see me alone. Nobody else has to suffer. There are surely gases in the world that paralyzes you down from the waist, right? If he’s interested in my IT skills, he only needs my hands and brain!’
But did he really deserve this kind of a punishment? As far as Benjamin was concerned, he had only put Mike’s face in the face recognition program and had stalked him with the state-of-art security cameras from morning to night. Then, he had messed with the elevator and trapped the two without either of their consent. He had also cut out all kinds of footage of the two, again without their consent, to make gifs, screen caps, posters, and DVDs. And, then he had…
‘Okay, perhaps I deserve a little punishment.’ Benjamin swallowed as Harvey sat down across him and pushed a glass of water on the coffee table.
“Don’t even think about saying ‘I’d prefer not to drink, Mr. Specter. You have very nice air.’.”
Benjamin nodded. Harvey already knew his moves.
“What would you like me to do for you, sir?” He asked politely. As homage to his girlfriend who bravely fought against scary customers every single day, he put on his bravest face and drank his water.
“How about we start with an apology, Ben?” Harvey crossed his legs and Benjamin thought that he looked better in person than in his hallucinations.
“Oh right. Of course. I need to apologize.” Benjamin had never really considered himself a rapper but there he was, practically rapping about how incredibly sorry he was and how he would never do anything without getting Harvey or Mike’s consent first.
Harvey let the words go into one ear and leave through the other one. He just hoped that the guy wouldn’t choke to death on his own words because it would make him look bad.
When Benjamin had finally finished the rap of his life, Harvey pointed at the papers that had been sitting on the corner of the table. “You are going to sign this agreement which says that you are not under any kind of duress. I suggest you read it first, Ben.”
Harvey’s firm stare made Benjamin’s head nod on its own. Harvey lent him his fountain pen and Benjamin knew that he could brag about this to Harold. ‘At least something good is coming out of this.’
He read the agreement as fast as he could and noticed how the terms and the duration of them were vague. ‘So this must be what a slave contract looks like. But well, what’s the alternative? Go to court and leave a permanent stain on my record? No way!’
So Benjamin accepted his fate and signed his name on the line.
“Good. So here’s what you’re going to do for me, Ben.” Harvey leaned a little closer and Benjamin pricked up his ears, trying to ignore how the partner kept calling him ‘Ben’.
Gregory was writing a letter of apology to Mike, choosing his words carefully. He had come back from Rachel’s yoga class which made him wonder just how much one could suffer in the name of sport. He could use a short nap but he really needed to get the letter done before the autograph session in the evening. Norma wanted the members to give their letters to Harvey or Mike while getting their autographs.
‘Geez, if I had worked this hard, I would’ve probably made junior partner by now.’ He was pondering hard about whether the word ‘blinding’ would be an accurate description for Mike’s smile or should he tone it down and go with ‘dazzling’.
‘But you can never really tone down the beauty of Mike’s smile, can you?’ He had made up his mind to stick with ‘blinding’ when he heard a ping from his computer. He clicked on the message, noticing that it was from Benjamin:
Hi! I’m back, comrades! And, I’m not back with empty hands! Exclusive!! Mike changing suits in the file room! Check it out NOW! I may have to take it down in a few minutes not to get caught so don’t miss your chance!
‘Oh my god, I’ve lived for this day!’ Gregory could barely contain his excitement as his heart started to race. He could hear Harold bouncing on his seat and other comrades nearby gasping for air. Gregory gulped down some water for his dry mouth and put on his earphones before clicking on the link.
But instead of a pretty boy with fair skin peeling off his suit, Harvey Specter dominated the screen. “What did you expect to see? My associate changing in the file room?”
Harold shook his head fiercely even if the senior partner couldn’t see him. Harvey was so charismatic and terrifying.
“Listen to me carefully because I’m not going to repeat myself. If any of you losers ever touch or even look at Mike in any way that he or I don’t appreciate, I will charge you with sexual harassment on his behalf. Is that clear?”
“Yes, it’s very clear!” Harold answered in a loud voice, startling Mike who had been working peacefully in his cubicle.
“In case it’s not clear, let me rephrase it. I will wipe all the surfaces of the courthouse with you and I will enjoy it.”
“Don’t worry! It was very clear the first time!” Harold squeaked and Mike wondered if his colleague was high.
Harvey continued his announcement with a dangerous smirk on his face. “Since you all seem to be into voyeurism so much, I’m willing to let you have some fun and watch Mike change in the file room.”
Rachel felt her eyes widen as much as humanly possible. Surely, Harvey couldn’t be serious.
“Just remember. You asked for it so you don’t get to look away until he’s done changing. If you look away, I will know. The security cameras are watching every single one of you. Enjoy your entertainment then.”
Everyone was confused as Harvey’s face left the screen. Luckily, it didn’t take long for the club members to realize what this was about. A very old and extremely thin man who looked creepy appeared on screen and introduced himself as Mike. Then he started to take off his suit in a room that was full of file boxes.
‘Oh geez, I think I’m going to be sick.’ Rachel wished that she could turn off her hearing. The man’s moans were high-pitched and unnatural in a way that made her stomach turn upside down. ‘Why does he even have to moan while he unbuttons his jacket??’
‘Oh Jesus Christ, does he really have to shake his body like that? It looks like he’s about to have a seizure!’ Gregory suddenly missed his yoga class. He had nothing against old men who wanted to change in front of a camera but this was too much to handle.
‘Where did Benjamin even find this? I know that internet is a scary place but oh god…’ Harold shuddered, hoping that this torture wouldn’t go on for long. But the man took as much time as possible and even did some kind of acrobatics while he was naked.
‘I’m a lady! I shouldn’t be subjected to this kind of material!’ Donna was outrageous.
‘Is Harvey willing to pay for our therapy sessions or what?’ Norma tried to think about other things but the man on the screen just wouldn’t stay quiet.
After twenty minutes of intense torture, everyone needed a drink. The members got up from their seats and this time, they were the ones who couldn’t stay quiet. “Oow, my feet!”
Harvey enjoyed the sound of agony. ‘I see that the sandals are good ones.’
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms as he watched people head over to the kitchen, walking like penguins. Then he looked up at the security cameras and checked that they were following them as instructed.
‘Good. Eye for an eye.’ Harvey walked back into his office with a smile on his face. It was fun to do juvenile things with mom’s approval.
Louis was walking out of the elevator with Kyle when he sensed that something was different on his floor. He had just come back from court after battling against a tricky counsel all day.
“Do you smell that, Kyle?” He asked his protégé.
“Smell what?” Kyle sniffed the air in the office.
“The excitement! Something funny’s going on around here.” Louis narrowed his eyes and looked around as he walked to his office. He couldn’t quite figure it out until he ran into Harold holding a picture with an excited look on his face.
“What are you so happy about?” He asked and snatched the picture out of Harold’s hands.
“What are you doing with a picture of Harvey?” Louis frowned as he noticed how sickly handsome Harvey looked in the picture, working at his desk with a fountain pen between his lips.
“There’s an autograph session in ten minutes and I’m going to get Harvey’s autograph on that picture.” Harold smiled happily and got his precious picture back.
“Why is he giving out autographs? What’s the occasion?” Louis couldn’t believe that he hadn’t been aware of such an event. The only notices that he had received in his inbox had been about the team bonding function on Friday and the secretary swaps next week.
“It’s the very first official H&M event!” Harold clapped his hands.
“Harvey’s the new model of H&M?” Kyle asked. He had always known that such a day would come. The senior partner was too gorgeous to work only as an attorney.
“No! By H&M, I meant Harvey and Mike! The autographs are part of their fan service! I can’t talk anymore. I have to go wait in line. You’ll have to excuse me.” Harold hurried to one of the conference rooms, leaving Louis baffled.
Louis walked quickly towards his office and barked at his secretary. “Norma! What is this nonsense about Harvey and Mike’s autograph session? Do you know anything about it?”
“Of course. I’m the one who will make sure that the event goes smoothly.” Norma didn’t look up and kept typing away. It had been crazy for a few days and she had a lot of work to do.
“What? You’re supervising it? Why are they giving out autographs anyway? Someone said it was fan service.”
“Yeah, there’s a fan club in the office that supports their love.” Norma answered casually. She figured that the truth would be the fastest way to make him leave her alone.
“Huh…? Whose love are we talking about?” Louis knew that he hadn’t been involved in the office’s business these days but there must be something wrong with his hearing.
“Harvey and Mike are in love and we ship them.” Norma rephrased.
“You what them? You’re going to ship them out?” Louis wasn’t following.
“Louis, I’m really busy right now. Can you bother me tomorrow or something?”
Louis didn’t appreciate her tone. “Norma, you work for me. Don’t you ever talk to me like that. And, I’ll ask again. Why are Harvey and my future pony signing autographs and who exactly is in love?”
Norma stopped typing and finally looked up. “Harvey and Mike are in love with each other and I run a fan club that supports their relationship. And, as a thank you for the club to have brought them together, they are offering to give out their autographs. Happy now?”
“Wait a second. Are you saying that there are people who wish Harvey more happiness than he already has?”
“Yes.” Norma got back to work.
“But why? He already has everything he needs! He doesn’t look too bad, he’s taller than me, but thank God he’s shorter than Jessica, he has an amazing bachelor pad, and he has all those suits that make him look like a pimp! Plus, he’s a senior partner in this incredible firm and he has hair that everyone except me wants to run his hand through! And, did you say that my future pony was in love with him? This has to be a nightmare. It just has to be. There’s no other explanation. And, hey, did you say that you run the damn club…?”
“Uh-huh.” Norma’s hands moved even faster on the keyboard.
Louis took a deep breath. “Okay, call 911. I’m going to have a heart attack. My own secretary has been going out of her way to wish my biggest rival happiness… right under my nose! Oh sweet Lord… I should’ve thrown her out the window when I had the chance. And, my future golden goose loves my rival? But why? He looks like a pimp! Is that what kids like these days? Mother Mary, why is this happening to me? So Harvey has someone special in his life? Without getting a restraining order or stitches in his arm? But how? And, why is he always ruining my life? Norma! Call 911 already!”
Louis gripped the edge of Norma’s desk and slowly lay down on the floor. The heart attack was going to come any second now. “Ahhh…”
Norma looked down and saw her boss alive and well. “Do you really want me to call 911? You’ll be embarrassed if they actually came when the heart attack didn’t.”
“How many times do I have to remind you that you work for me!” Louis yelled from the floor. “Call 911 or I’ll do it myself!”
“Fine. But you’re going to deal with the paramedics when nothing happens.” Norma reached for the phone.
“Hey Louis, what are you doing down there?” Harvey looked down as he passed Louis’ office with Mike.
“This is a bad time, Harvey. I’m expecting a heart attack because of you.” Louis grabbed his heart and squeezed the words out of his mouth.
“Because of me? What did I do?” Harvey was amused. Louis looked great lying on the floor where he truly belonged.
“Your existence! And everything you do! You just annoy me to death! And, how could you snatch away my future pony like that?!” Louis was losing his mind. The heart attack was running late and he didn’t want to get embarrassed.
Mike tensed a little as he heard the word ‘pony’. Harvey put his hand around Mike’s waist and enjoyed the way Louis’ eyes were about to pop out of his skull.
“Louis, if you ever refer to my future husband as a ‘pony’ again, I’ll make sure that you leave Pearson-Hardman and get to work with real ponies for the rest of your life. Understood?” Harvey walked over the junior partner’s leg and winked at Norma.
“Ooow!!” Louis’ yelp filled the hallway, covering Norma’s laughter.
“Don’t ever say that I never did anything for you! I just saved you from embarrassing yourself in front of the paramedics!” Harvey said in a loud voice as he left Louis’ sight. The paramedics now had a real problem to take care of.